120mm HE Shell
The 120mm HE Shell (HE standing for 'High Explosive') are a type of ammunition used in tanks and other armored vehicles that favor explosive damage over armor penetration power. In modern weapons, HE Shells can be as small as 20mm and as large as 125mm. Battlefield 3 The Cannon HE 'is a secondary weapon specialization unlock-able for Tank Destroyers upon completion of the 'Explosive Danger' Assignment in ''Battlefield 3. Like all other tank shells, unguided rockets and rocket/missile launchers, it has the capability of damaging and destroying structures such as walls and levelling some buildings. The HE shell deals lighter damage upon impact with heavy and light-armored targets than the primary weapon. The HE Shell carries a significant amount of explosive, more than that of the primary weapon, enabling it to generate heavy splash damage within a limited radius upon impact that can damage or kill nearby infantry with ease, but its penetration power against vehicles are not as powerful as the main cannon. In game modes such as Hardcore where friendly-fire is enabled, operators of this weapon must take greater precaution as not accidentally team-kill, especially when operating in close-quarters situations such as through narrow corridors, tunnels, streets or alleyways. The Auto Loader vehicle Specialization reduces the time taken to reload between shots. All shots of the shell are negated upon impact of Reactive Armor plating. To operate, the vehicle operator must select the secondary weapon of the Tank Destroyer. The circular HUD icon and text display on the bottom left-hand side of the screen will indicate when or whether the primary weapon and shell is equipped, ready to fire, or reloading. Once selected, the operator must aim and fire at the target with the primary fire button. Depending on the range and movement, the operator of the HE Shell must also compensate by either leading the target or adjusting cannon elevation. Striking armored targets directly at a 90 degree angle either at the front, side or rear can produce different results with varying damage. Direct impacts towards the rear of all Main Battle Tanks at a 90 degree angle deals the most damage and will result in a Critical Disable (unless Reactive Armor is present). Damage Statistics & effects The following is a list of effects and damage to specific vehicle types from impacts by the Cannon HE. Vehicles not listed are vehicles which are instantly destroyed upon shell impact at any angle. Such includes Jets of all Types, Quad Bikes and Dirtbikes Damage resulting from impacts at an angle other than 90 degrees are not listed due to slight variations of damage at different angles of degrees of shell impact with the exception of helicopters, with all damage results consistent with impacts at any angle. Battlefield 4 The '''120mm HE Shell vehicle specialization appears in Battlefield 4 and serves as a primary weapon'' for Main Battle Tanks (MBT) unlocked at 25000 MBT Score. By comparison, the HE shell is an anti-infantry orientated shell. Like all other tank shells, unguided rockets and rocket/missile launchers, it has the capability of damaging and destroying structures such as walls and levelling some buildings. The shell has a shorter trajectory and lowest velocity than other shells. Engaging moving targets at long ranges may prove difficult with this weapon. The HE shell deals lighter damage upon impact with heavy and light-armored targets than the AP Shell and Sabot Shell after the recent ''Battlefield 4: Night Operations ''update, with its damage almost reduced by half for balancing reasons. Unlike the Sabot Shell, the HE Shell carries a significant amount of explosive, more than that of the AP Shell, enabling it to generate heavy splash damage within a limited radius upon impact that can damage or kill nearby infantry, but its penetration power against vehicles are not as powerful as the 120mm AP Shell and Sabot Shell. In game modes such as Hardcore where friendly-fire is enabled, operators of this weapon must take greater precaution as not accidentally team-kill, especially when operating in close-quarters situations such as through narrow corridors, tunnels, streets or alleyways. The Auto Loader vehicle Specialization reduces the time taken to reload between shots. All shots of the shell are negated upon activation of Active Protection systems of the targeted vehicle, while Reactive Armor requires impacts to deal higher damage to count as critical, retain mobility. To operate, the vehicle operator must select the primary weapon of the Main Battle Tank. The circular HUD icon and text display on the bottom left-hand side of the screen will indicate when or whether the primary weapon and shell is equipped, ready to fire, or reloading. Once selected, the operator must aim and fire at the target with the primary fire button. Depending on the range and movement, the operator of the HE Shell must also compensate by either leading the target or adjusting cannon elevation. Striking armored targets directly at a 90 degree angle either at the front, side or rear can produce different results with varying damage. Striking most light-armored targets at a 90 degree angle at any side of the vehicle usually produces a critical hit, especially when Reactive Armor is not present while impacts other than 90 degrees will often deal less damage. For action against Main Battle Tanks, 90 degree impacts at the front deals the weakest amount of damage and no critical hits regardless of angle and presence of Reactive Armor. 90 degree impacts against the side armor deals medium damage and critical hit depending on presence of Reactive Armor. Direct impacts towards the rear of all MBT at a 90 degree angle deals the most damage and will result in a Mobility Kill regardless of presence of Reactive Armor. All MBTs can be dispatched with as little as 2 HE rounds to the rear with this method. When focusing on a more anti-vehicle, anti-armor-orientated combat role, the operator may choose to equip STAFF Shells or Guided Shells for ease of engagement of vehicles at longer ranges out of the effectiveness or the HE Shell, with the later specialization able to lock-on to laser-designated targets for a damage boost, or to combat against aerial threats more effectively. For a more anti-infantry-orientated role, the vehicle operator can choose to employ a secondary gunner, or in more convenient (or desperate) situations, switch to the secondary gunner position themselves temporarily to dispatch hostile infantry before switching back to the driver seat or to employ the HE shell itself as a last resort. When targeting hostile vehicles head on, activate Active Protection systems (if equipped) at the right moment can mean the difference between victory or defeat. The driver or secondary gunner can also, if equipped, choose to exit the vehicle quickly, select a dumb-fire rocket launcher (preferably an RPG-7V2 or similar), fire at the target then re-enter the vehicle as quickly as possible before the enemy armor completes their reload/attack phase. When executed correctly, this can deal an extra damage boost between primary weapon reload of the cannon, with the next or second shot of the HE shell usually resulting in target destruction. After the introduction of the ''Battlefield 4: Community Operations update, a direct hit against Helicopters of all types will no longer result in instant target destruction however, will result in a Mobility Kill and critical disable of the target. A short burst of the driver's Coaxial Heavy Machine Gun or secondary gunner's machine gun will ensure target destruction. For a more infantry-orientated role, the operator of the vehicle and shell can choose to equip an assortment of Coaxial weapons, enabling to dispatch pockets of infantry resistance with relative ease while the main cannon is reloading. The Canister Shell specialization can also be employed for similar situations however, it is effected by the primary reload of the HE Shell. The 120mm HE Shell's powerful splash damage, which is lacking on its Sabot Shell counterpart, also eases the difficulty of engaging hostile infantry head on with the HE Shell. All in all, the 120mm HE Shell excels at close-quarters anti-infantry primary weapon, and is an excellent choice for MBT operators in maps focused on close-quarters urban combat. Damage Statistics & effects The following is a list of effects and damage to specific vehicle types from impacts by the 120mm AP Shell. Vehicles not listed are vehicles which are instantly destroyed upon shell impact at any angle. Such includes Jets of all Types, Quad Bikes, and PWCs. Damage resulting from impacts at an angle other than 90 degrees are not listed due to slight variations of damage at different angles of degrees of shell impact with the exception of helicopters, with all damage results consistent with impacts at any angle. Damage results are gathered post-2015 Battlefield 4: Legacy Operations update and are subject to change without notice by game developers from time to time. Patch Notes * Originally, the HE Shell and the Sabot Shell were capable of destroying a Transport Helicopter in one direct hit. Following the release of Battlefield 4: Night Operations and the Summer patch in September 2015, the 120mm HE Shell can no longer instantly destroy Transport Helicopters in order to improve their survivability and usefulness. * As of post-2015 Battlefield 4: Community Operations update, the 120mm HE Shell's reload time is now the same as with the 120mm AP Shell and Sabot Shell, but its damage against vehicles has been, in most cases, almost halved or more. The 120mm HE Shell's splash damage against infantry has been significantly increased than previously. The 120mm HE Shell now also cannot completely destroy all helicopters in one direct hit unless the pilots are killed in the blast. Gallery APShellFire1.png|HE Shell being fired. APShellFire2.png|HE Shell striking the target. APShellDestroy.png|Destroying the target. HEShellLoadout.png|HE Shell as it appears on the vehicle load-out specialization selection screen. Video Battlefield 4 - Tank Guide Ammo Types & Upgrades|Vehicle Specialization guide. Trivia General * The load-out specialization screen icon of the 120mm HE Shell resembles that of the real-life North American 120mm M830 HEAT Tactical round employed commonly aboard U.S M1A2 Abrams MBT, self propelled guns and other compatible artillery pieces. See also * 120mm AP Shell * Sabot Shell References Category:Specializations of Battlefield 4